Receptacle filling machine



April 1949- H. D. SCHLECHTER 2,467,995

RECEPTACLE FILLING MACHINE Filed Nov. 18, 1944 9 Sheets-Sheet lart/0244M SofiZea/ifer A ril 19, 1949. H. D. SCHLECHTER RECEPTACLEFILLING MACHINE 9 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 18, 1944 April 1949- i H. D.SCHLECHTER 2,467,995

RECEPTACLE FILLING MACHINE Filed Nov. 18, 1944 9 Shets-Shec s 19.49. H.D. SCHLECHTER RECEPTACLE FILLING MACHINE 9 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Nov. 18,1944 April 1949- H. D. SCHLECHTER 2,467,995

RECEPTACLE FILLING MACHINE Filed Nov. 18, 1944 9 Sheets-$heet 5HD.S07ZZB07ZZ67' MQMW April 19, 1949.

Filed Nov. 18, 1944 H. D. SCHLECHTER 2,467,995

v RECEPTACLE FILLING MACHINE 9 Sheets-Sheet 6 H. D. SCHLEC HTERRECEPTACLE FILLING MACHINE April 19, 1949.

9 Sheets-Sheet 8 Filed NOV. 18, 1944 Illa +w nh April 1949. H. D.SCHLECHTER RECEPTACLE FILLING MACHINE 9 Sheets-Sheet 9 Filed Nov. 18,1944 WNE @OFOE Patented Apr. 19, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICERECEPTACLE FILLING MACHINE Herbert D. Schlechter, New York, N. Y.

Application November 18, 1944, Serial No. 564,098 4 Claims. (Cl. 226-2)This invention relates to receptacle filling machines.

An object of this invention is to provide a receptacle filling machinewhich is designed to fill receptacles with a predetermined number ofarticles, such as tablets, pills, capsules, or the like.

Another object of this invention is to provide a receptacle fillingmachine wherein a number of receptacles may be filled at one time, andwherein the number of articles in each receptacle will be accurate.

Another object of this invention is to provide a machine of this kindwhich can be used for various types of packaged articles, the machineembodying interchangeable delivery slides so that pills, capsules andother small articles may be delivered to the receptacles in accuratelymeasured quantities.

A further object of this invention is to provide a machine of this kindwhich includes an endless conveyor disposed beneath a hopper from whichthe articles are discharged onto the conveyor, and the articles on theconveyor are levelled by means of a levelling rod supported above theconveyor.

With the above and such other objects in view as many hereinafter morefully appear, the invention consists of the novel construction,combination and arrangement of parts as will be more specificallyreferred to, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein isshown an embodiment of my invention, but it is to be understood thatchanges, variations, and modifications may be resorted to which fallwithin the scope of the invention, as claimed.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a detail top plan view of a receptacle filling and countingmachine, constructed according to an embodiment of this invention.

Figure 2 is a detail side elevation, partly broken away, of the machine.

Figure 3 is a detail front elevation of the machine.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a segmental view, taken on the line 55 of Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 2.

Figure? isa sectional view taken on the line 1-7 of Figure S. g

Figure 8 isa Sectional view taken on the line 88 of Figure 4.

Figure 9 is a sectional view taken on the line 9-9 of Figure 7.

Figure 10 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line l0-I 0 ofFigure '7.

Figure 11 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line i I-l I ofFigure 2.

Figure 12 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line l2--! 2 ofFigure 2.

Figure 13 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line |3i 3 ofFigure 1.

Figure 14 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line I 4-1 l ofFigure 4.

Figure 15 is a diagrammatic view showing the electric circuits embodiedin this invention.

Figure 16 is a sectional view of a modified form of timer.

Figure 17 is a sectional view taken on the line l!-ii of Figure 16.

Referring to the drawings the numeral 20 designates generally a framestructure including a base 2 I, having upright front support 22, andupright rear supports 23. A pair of upper side frame members 24 and 25are secured to the upper ends of the uprights 22 and 23 and preferablythe upper frame members 24 and 25 project beyond the front and rearuprights 22 and 23, as shown in Figure 2.

An endless conveyor 26 is movably supported within the frame 20, andpreferably between the upper frame members 24 and 25. The conveyor 26includes an endless belt 2'! which is trained over front and rearrollers 28 and 29 respectively The roller 28 is mounted on a rollershaft 30 journailed between the upper frame members 24 and 25. Theconveyor 26 inclined to the horizontal, inclining downwardly from therear end to the forward end.

The conveyor 26 is operated by means of a flexible drive member 32 whichis trained over an upper sprocket 33 secured to rear shaft 3 I, Chain orflexible drive member 32 engages at its lower end over a lower sprocket34 mounted on a drive shaft 35. A hopper 36 is supported above the rearportion of the conveyor 26 and is secured to a transverse extendingsupporting rod 31 which engages the upstanding threaded bolts 38 carriedby the upper frame members 22 and 25.

A spring 39 is interposed between the lower side of the bar 3'! engagingabout the bolt 38 so as to resiliently support the hopper 36 above theupper run of the conveyor 25. A wing nut 40 is threaded onto the bolt 38so that spring 39 may be tensioned to the desired degree. Hopper 36 isof a length substantially equal to the width of conveyor 26 and in orderto provide a means whereby the usable portion of the hopper 36 may beshortened I have provided adjustable inner end walls M and 42 which aresecured in adjusted position along the length of the side walls 43 and44 of the hopper by means of fastening members 45. The hopper 36 isadapted to have pills or capsules placed therein which are adapted todrop through the open lower end of the hopper onto the upper run ofconveyor belt 21. As the upper run or belt 21 moves forwardly anddownwardly the articles 46 move with the belt and are confined within apredetermined space on the upper surface of the belt 21 by means of apair of parallel article guiding walls 4! and 48 which are secured to atransversely extending bar 49. The bar 49 is disposed at an obtuse angleto the length of belt 2'! and is supported above the upper run of thebelt by threaded posts 58 carried by the upper frame members 24 and 25,.A spring is disposed about the post 58 below the bar 49, and is adaptedto yieldingly hold bar 49 in selected position above the upper run ofthe belt. A wing nut 52 is threaded onto the post 58, and provides ameans whereby spring 5| may be tensioned to the desired degree and thelower edge of spreader bar 49 may be positioned at a point above thesurface of the belt 2! sufficient so that the pills or capsules may passbeneath the spreader bar 49 one at a time. The spreader bar 49 serves toeven out the pills which engage on the upper run of the belt so thatthey will enter the throat of the machine in an even line.

The pills or articles 46 are adapted to enter the throat generallydesignated as 53 before the articles reach the extreme forward end ofthe conveyor 21. The throat 53 comprises a plurality of parallel spacedapart article guide members 54 which are formed at their rear ends withtapered portions 55 so that the articles may readily enter between pairsof the guide members 54, but only one article may enter the spacebetween each pair of guide members 54 at a time. The guide members 54extend forwardly, as indicated at 56, over the forward end of theconizleyor where the conveyor engages about roller A plurality ofarticle guiding tubes 51 are secured at their upper ends to atransversely disposed supporting member 58 and have their upper openends disposed in a position to receive the articles which are dischargedfrom the belt 21. The article guiding tubes 51 are secured at theirlower ends to a horizontally disposed supporting bar 59 secured betweena pair of forward upright members 68 and M. The lower ends of the tubes51 are spread apart a distance sufficient so that a plurality ofreceptacles or bottles 62 may be disposed below the supporting bar 59for receiving the articles as they are discharged in timed relation tothe receptacles or bottles 62.

The articles in the lower ends of the tubes 51 are adapted to bedischarged to the receptacles 62 by operation of a reciprocating slide63 which is slidable beneath the horizontal supporting bar 59. The slide63 is provided with a plurality of openings or pockets 64 which arespaced apart a distance equal to the space between the several tubes 51.The lower bar 65 is disposed below the slide 63 and is formed with aplurality of openings 66 spaced apart a distance equal to the spacebetween openings 64 but offset to one side of the lower ends of thetubes 59. In this manner when slide 63 is at the end of one strokethereof, openings 64 will register with the lower ends of tubes 51 andat the end of the opposite stroke of slide 63 openings 64 will registerwith openings 66., When openings 64 register with openings 66 thearticles in openings 64 will drop downwardly through openings 66 intoreceptacles 62.

The receptacles 62 are supported beneath bar by means of a horizontalplatform or table 6'! secured between the upright forward members 68 andBI.

The slide 63 is reciprocated by means of a vertically disposed rotatableshaft 68 which is journalled in bearings 69 and I8 carried by uprightmember 6I. The upper end of shaft 68 has secured thereto a plate or diskII having an eccentric pin 12 fixed thereto, and slidably engaging in atransverse slot I3 formed in the adjacent end of slide 63. The lower endof shaft 68 has secured thereto a beveled gear 74 Which meshes with abeveled gear 15 fixed to the adjacent end of drive shaft 35. Drive shaft35 is operated from a motor I8 and preferably a clutch TI is interposedin shaft 35 and in addition a reduction gearing 18 of conventionalconstruction is also interposed in shaft 35 so that the latter will turnat a relatively slow speed.

In order to provide a means whereby the motor 16 will automatically stopwhen a predetermined number of articles have been discharged into thereceptacles 62, I have provided a timer, generally designated as I9. Thetimer 1-9 is. interposed in shaft 35 being operated thereby and includesa timer shaft 88 having a worm gear 8| secured to one end thereof. Theworm gear 8|; is adapted to mesh with a worm 82 carried by a shaft 35and the ratio of worm 82 to worm gear BI is 100 to 1.

Timer shaft 88 has secured thereto a plurality of commutator members 83,84 and 85. Shaft 88 also has secured thereto a commutator 86 which has abrush 81 connecting therewith, brush 81. being connected by a conductor88 to one side of a source of electric current supply. Commutator 83 isconstructed in the form of an insulated disk 89 fixed to shaft 88, andthe periphery of disk 89 has secured thereto a substantially circularcontact 98' which is split as. at 9I so as to provide a circuit breakingmeans for breaking the electric circuit, as will be hereinafterdescribed.

Commutator' 84 includes an insulated disk 92 having secured to theperiphery thereof a pair of substantially semi-circular contacts 93which have their ends spaced apart so as to provide a circuit breakingspace 94'.

Commutator is constructed in the form of an insulated disk 95 having aplurality of segmental contact strips 96 secured to the peripherythereof, there being four of these contact strips, with their endsspaced apart as at 9'! to provide a circuit breaking space.

A wiper 98 is adapted to engage commutator 83 and is connected to aconductor 99 which is connected to one side of the motor 16-. Amanuallyoperable switch I88 is interposed between conductor 99 and wiper93. A pilot light I8I is interposed in a wire I82 which is connectedbetween wiper 98 and a pilot light commutator I83 fixed to andelectrically connected with shaft 88. The wiper I83 is adapted to engagecommutator 84 and has connected therewith a switch I84 to conductor 9 I.

The pilot light I85 is connected by means of wire I86 to a pilotcommutator I81 electrically connected to shaft 88, and connector I86 isconnected to wiper I83. A wiper I88 engages commutator 85 and isconnected to conductor 98 through a switch I89. A pilot light H8 isinterposed in a wire III which is connected at one end to wiper I08 andat the other end engages a commutator H2 electrically connected to shaft60. The several contact strips or segments on the commutators 83, 84 and85 are electrically connected with shaft 80 so that electric currentfrom one side 88 of the source of current supply will flow throughcommutator 86, shaft 80, and through a selected one of commutators 83,84 and 05, depending on which one of the switches i00, I04 and I09respectively is closed.

Motor I6 is connected at the opposite side thereof by means of aconductor H3 to the opposite side of the source of electric currentsupply. A starting or bridging switch H4 is connected between conductors88 and 99 at a point to shunt timer I9 and is spring-pressed by means ofa spring I I5 to normally open position. Switch 5 I4 is designed for thepurpose of starting motor 76 when the brush associated with a selectedcommutator, is at the circuit breaking position. When motor I6 startsoperating and the brush of the selected commutator is past the circuitbreaking position, switch I I4 may be released and motor I6 will operatefor a predetermined period. Commutator 85 and switch I09 are designed tostop the operation of motor I6 when slide 63 has reciprocated asuilicient number of times to drop 25 articles into receptacles 62.Commutator 84 and switch I04 are designed to operate motor I6 and stopthe motor after 50 capsules have been dropped into receptacle 62,whereas, commutator 83 and switch I are designed for operating motor I6and cutting off this motor when 100 capsules have been dropped intoreceptacles 62.

In the use and operation of this machine the articles in the form ofpills or capsules are dropped into hopper 36. Motor I6 is started byclosing a selected one of the switches I00, I04, or I00, and thenclosing switch I I4. As an example, switch I09 may be closed so that 25articles will drop into receptacles 62 before the motor I6 is stopped.When motor I6 operates, drive shaft 35 will rotate shaft 64 throughgears I4 and I5, and conveyor 26 will be operated through chain 32. Thearticles dropping downwardly through the open lower end of hopper 36will engage on the upper run of conveyor belt 21 and will be movedforwardly beneath the hopper and between the guide walls 41 and 48.

As the articles pass beneath spreader member 30 this member will spreadout the articles in a fiat manner, and the articles will then pass intothe open rear ends of the pairs of guide members 54. The articlesenterin the throat 53 of the machine will move between the pairs ofguide members 54 and will then be discharged into the upper open ends ofguide tubes 51. Tubes 51 will normally be substantially filled witharticles so that when slide 63 reciprocates the articles will drop oneat a time into pockets 64 of slide 63 at the time the slide 63 has theopenings thereof in registry with the lower ends of tubes 51. When slide63 moves out of registry with tubes 51 openings 64 will move intoregistry with openings 66 and at the time openings 64 register withopenings 66 the articles will drop downwardly through the latteropenings into receptacles 62. Contact strips 66 of commutator 85 are soarranged that when shaft 80 is rotated a quarter turn, whereas shaft 35is rotated 25 turns, wiper I08 will be nositioned at the circuitbreaking point 91 and motor 16 will stop operating.

With a machine as hereinbefore described the receptacles 62 will have anaccurate count of ar-- ticles dropped thereinto, thereby eliminatinginaccuracies which have heretofore occurred by prior counting deviceswhich contemplated spreading the articles over a plate having apredetermined number of openings therein and filling such openings.Under this latter procedure certain openings would not become filledwith articles so that an inaccurate number of articles would be placedin the desired receptacles.

With a machine as hereinbefore described the slide 63 may be of anydesired thickness preferably being of a thickness equal to the thicknessof the pill or capsule and if different thicknesses of articles are tobe discharged into the receptacles a different thickness slide can beused.

In Figures 16 and 1'? there is disclosed a modified form of timer whichis constructed in the form of a conventional three-speed transmission.Drive shaft 35 has a worm 82a meshing with a worm gear Illa mounted on acounter shaft H6, which is journalled in a housing I IT. A shiftable lowspeed gear I I8 is slidable on shaft I I6 and is adapted to mesh with agear I I9 fixed on a second countershaft I20 journalled in housing II'I.A driven gear I2I meshes with a gear I23 fixed on shaft I20. Anintermediate speed ear I24 is slidable on shaft I I6 and is adapted tomesh with a gear I25 fixed on shaft I20. Gear I24 and gear I2I areformed with complementary clutch elements I26 by means of which highspeed is obtained. A commutator I21, havin a split contact band I28 isfixed on hollow shaft I22 and a wiper I29 engages contact band I28 andis connected to wire 99.

Housing I I1 is connected to wire 08 and the remainlng structure shownin Figure 15 will be associated with the timer shown in Figures 16 and17.

When gear H8 is in mesh with gear H9 the commutator will rotate at aspeed whereby slide 63 will drop 25 pills or capsules; when gear I24 isin mesh With gear I25 slide 63 will drop 50 pills or capsules; and whenclutch members I20 are in engagement slide 63 will drop pills orcapsules. When commutator I 21 makes one complete revolution and wiperI29 engages the split or insulated portion I30, motor I6 will start andthe cycle can be repeated by again closing switch I I4 which starts upmotor I6.

I claim:

1. In a receptacle filling machine for filling receptacles with apredetermined number of articles, comprising a hopper, an endlessconveyor for carrying the articles from the hopper, guide meansextending from said conveyor; a reciprocating member at the dischargeend of said guide means, said reciprocating member formed with openingsfor receiving a single article therein at one end of the stroke thereof,and discharging the articles from said member at the other end of itsstroke, a motor for said reciprocatin member, a variable transmissionincluding inter-engaging driving gears and a driven gear between saidmotor and said member, circuit connecting contact members engageable intimed relation to said driven gear, said contact members being connectedin the motor circuit for breaking said circuit at certain positions ofsaid driven gear in selected timed relation to the cycle of saidreciprocating member, whereby said receptacles may be filled with aselected number of articles, and the motor circuit broken at that time.

2. In a receptacle filling machine for filling receptacles with apredetermined number of articles, comprising a hopper, an endlessconveyor for carrying the articles from the hopper, guide meansextending from said conveyor; a reciproeating member at the dischargeend of said guide means, said member formed with openings for receivinga certain number of articles therein at one end. of the stroke anddischarging the articles at the other end thereof, an electric motordriving said member, a rotatable timing means operatively connected inthe motor circuit and driven by said motor, said timing means includinga rotating segmental contact member and a fixed contact engageabletherewith for breaking the motor circuit upon a definite number ofrevolutions of said rotating contact member in timed relation to saidmotor and said reciprocating members.

3. In a receptacle filling machine as set forth in claim 2, said timingmeans including a plurality of rotating segmental contact members, thesegmental contacts of each of said segmental contact members being ofdifferent lengths, a fixed contact member for each of said segmentalmembers, and switching means for selectively connecting a certain one ofsaid segmental members in the motor circuit.

4. In a receptacle filling machine as set forth in claim 2, said timingdevice including a variable transmission between said motor and saidsegmental contact member for varying the relation of said segmentalmember relative to said motor.

HERBERT D. SCHLECHTER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

